2013 US Youth Soccer ODP Girls Thanksgiving Interregional: Day 5

2013 US Youth Soccer ODP Girls Thanksgiving Interregional Continued on Thanksgiving Day in Florida

BOCA RATON, Fla. (November 28, 2013) – Thanksgiving marked the final day of play for the 1998 and 1999 age groups at the 2013 US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) Girls Thanksgiving Interregional in Boca Raton, Fla. The six-day tournament at Spanish River Athletic Park, which features elite girls teams in the 1996-1999 age groups from each of the four US Youth Soccer regions, concludes tomorrow.

The nearly 300 leading players participating in the event have been selected from US Youth Soccer State Association and regional level evaluations. Throughout the week, players will train at practices and compete in matches against other regions, in front of national staff and collegiate coaches to maximize their exposure for selection to the next level of play.

US Youth Soccer ODP is the nation's original player identification program. With programs in all 55 US Youth Soccer State Associations, it is available to any player, regardless of hometown or club affiliation. US Youth Soccer ODP has continued its tradition of elite competition and player development for more than 30 years, and is the only development program that can claim members of Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League, and a majority of current and past national and youth national team members as alumni. To learn more, visit www.usyouthsoccer.org/programs/OlympicDevelopmentProgram.

Highlights from Day 5:

1998 Girls: Region II v. Region I

The Region I 1998 team concluded the tournament with the best record in their age group. Their Thanksgiving match saw a 4-2 win over the Region II team. Region II started the match with a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes with goals by Josie Fowler and Alexandra Wright. Region I came back with two more goals by Jenna Sayers and Francesca Venezia to tie the match by halftime. Region I came back in the second half determined to get the win, and in the 67th minute got a goal by Kennedy Yearby, followed by another, two minutes later by Amirah Ali.

1998 Girls: Region IV v. Region III

In the final 1998 match of the tournament, Region IV and Region III finished in a 2-2 tie. The match went into halftime scoreless but saw a lot of action in the second half. Isabella Briede put Region III in the lead in the 41st minute, but Region IV’s Taylor Ziemer leveled the match in the 57th minute. Region IV then became the frontrunner in the 63rd minute with Jessica Yu’s goal, but Region III’s Danielle Gordon got a late goal in the 80th minute to help her team from getting the defeat.

1999 Girls: Region II v. Region I

After being down 1-0 in the first half, Region II retaliated and defeated Region I, 2-1. Rachel Dorwart’s 31st minute goal gave Region I the advantage at halftime. Region II came back when Samantha Sklarski tied the match in the 74th minute; and Emina Ekic got Region II the game winner in the 80th minute.

1999 Girls: Region IV v. Region III

The final match of the day, between Region IV and Region III, resulted in a 2-2 tie. Region III possessed a 2-0 lead after Taylor Morgan’s 13th minute goal and Trinity Thomas’ 30th minute tally. Region IV got on the board before halftime when Theresa Boade scored in the 39th minute. Sophia Serafin got the equalizer in the 40th minute, and ultimately helped maintain Region IV’s record as they finished the tournament atop of standings and went undefeated in all tournament games.